Mechanical drive for cardboard bottle filling machines



Dec. 24, 1957 N. w. LYON Filed Oct. 1. 1954 F'IGJ INVENTOR NQRMAN W. LYON Dem 24, 1957 N. w. LYON 2,817,201

MECHANICAL DRIVE FOR CARDBOARD BOTTLE FILLING MACHINES Filed 001:. l. 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG-2 24) my INVENTOR NORMAN VV. L YON ATTORNEYS United States Patent 6 MECHANICAL DRIVE FOR CARDBOARD BOTTLE FILLING MACHINES Norman W. Lyon, Wilbraham, Mass., assignor to Package Machinery Company, East Longmeadow, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application October 1, 1954, Serial No. 459,579

Claims. (Cl. 53281) This invention relates to a machine for filling, closing and marking so-called paper or cardboard bottles or containers and the like.

More specifically it relates to machines of the above class having a revolving carrier or turret by which bottles are transported to operating mechanisms which perform successive operations to effect the proper and desired filling, closing and marking of the bottles.

An object of the invention is to provide power in a simplified manner, simultaneously, to several of the operating mechanisms which accomplish the aforestated acts, in timed relation to the turret drive and the filling mechamsm.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the following detailed description of the apparatus shown by the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 shows an elevational view with parts cut away of a bottle or container filling machine embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a top view of the spider element by which various operative mechanisms of the machine are carried for simultaneous operation;

Fig. 3 is a detail View showing the cam drive mechanism for operating the spider element of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a cardboard container as used in the embodiment of the machine shown by Fig. 1.

In Fig. 1, a turret type of container filling machine is shown wherein empty containers are filled and capped ready for delivery to the consumer. The empty containers are individually placed at a loading station on one of a series of supports rotatably carried by a turret, being deposited on the support in any suitable manner. The turret is intermittently advanced so that each container may then be presented at successive stations for the opening, filling and closing operations together with operations, for example, for expanding the recess of a closure plug, for sealing the edges of the closure plug, and for printing or capping the same. When the last of these operations is complete the container is removed by suitable means at a discharge station.

In Fig. 4 a standard type of cardboard container 1 is illustrated. The container body is square in cross-sectional outline and at the top is an opening 2 adjacent one of the corners. A recessed closure plug 3 is hinged centrally at the top to form the sealing member. When the plug is in closed condition as shown by the dot-dash lines the recess at 4 is fitted in the opening 2, the outer flanged edges of the fiap at 5 are clenched against the rimmed edges of the container top Wall, and the surface of the recess may either receive printed indicia directly thereon or a disc type of cap bearing identifying indicia may be inserted therein. The apparatus of Fig. 1 is adapted to handle this type of container.

The turret base indicated at 10 carries a turret cylinder 11 on the outer wall of which a series of container supports as at 12 are adapted to seat the containers with the top portion of the containers nested in the vertically disposed pockets of the turret at 13. A loading station for the revolving turret is at the front side of the machine as viewed in Fig. 1, and the turret is designed to revolve from left to right as shown therein. The turret is intermittently advanced to various stations for presenting the container for a sequence of operations as follows: (a) the closure plug opening mechanism indicated at 15 (and located in the front of the machine as shown) is vertically reciprocated to open the closure plug; ([1) the open container is advanced to be filled at the filling spout indicated at 16; (c) the plug is then closed by a closing guide positioned at 14 in the path of the bottle travel to the next station where the plug recess expander at 17 (at the rear side of the machine as shown) is vertically reciprocated to expand the bottom of the recess and seal the same in the opening; (d) at the next station the outer edges of the closure plug are clinched on the bottle by the vertically reciprocable clincher mechanism indicated at 18; and (e) the capping mechanism at 19 is vertically operated to deposit a cap printed with identifying data within the recess of the plug or alternatively a printing mechanism may be used to print identifying data directly on the plug. The bottle is then carried to an unloading station.

It will be noted that the opening, expanding, clinching, and capping units of Fig. 1 are mounted for reciprocation on the spider 20, these units hanging on vertical shafts and being annularly disposed over the turret pockets as may be appreciated from the top plan view of Fig. 2.

Spider 20 is the common support for the plurality of units and is itself mounted on a vertical shaft or rod 21 to which it is fixed for reciprocation. Rod 21 is linked at the bottom as will be described and at the top is received in a slide bearing 22 of a top clamp 23 embracing a column 24. Column 24 is carried on a stationary bonnet or cover hood 25 capping the revolving turret.

The volume 24 also supports a reciprocable drive shaft 26 for the milk filling operation being operatively connected with a main cam wheel 27 from which both the spider drive shaft 21 and columnar drive shaft 26 are driven.

The main cam wheel 27 is keyed on a horizontally disposed drive shaft 28 (see also Fig. 3) supported on the base frame 10 by spaced brackets 29. Shaft 28 is driven by a sprocket and chain connection 30 from a motor (not shown) and drives not only the cam wheel 27 but also a Geneva crank arm 31. Arm 31 operates to intermittently drive a Geneva wheel 32 keyed to a Geneva shaft 33 mounted between the upstanding ends 34 of a bracket also mounted on the base frame 10.

The Geneva shaft 33 in turn drives a vertical drive shaft 36 through bevel gears at 37 for actuating the turret drive gear 38 in mesh with the turret ring gear indicated at 39 for revolving the turret.

Thus, the main drive shaft 28 operates the spider and filling mechanisms, and the turret all in timed relation, the two former through the main cam wheel and the latter through the Geneva crank.

As indicated the cam wheel 27 is provided on each side thereof with a roller track, the track at 50 (at the left side) receiving a roller 51 for actuating the spider shaft 21 and the track at 52 on the opposite side receiving the roller 53 for actuating the filling mechanism drive shaft 26.

Roller 53 is carried on a in 54 fixed in a forked link 55 attached at the lower end of shaft 26. The fork of the link 55 at the lower end thereof straddles a square bearing 56 mounted on the main shaft 28 and at each revolution of the wheel 27 the link 55 and thus shaft 26 is raised and lowered to cycle the filling mechanism. The shaft 26 at its upper end drives the operating lever 58 adjustably pivoted on a bracket 59 for reciprocating a filler plunger rod 60. The plunger 60 is slidably carried in a bracket 61 and extends through a tank or reservoir 62 into a metering chamber at 63. The plunger is connected to a filling piston (not shown) which may be actuated to dischargea metered quantity of liquid through the filling nozzle at T6 upon presentation of a container at the filling station. Container detecting mechanism, indicated generally by the numeral 65, prevents a bottle support 12 from being raised to filling position in the event the container is not properly opened at this station or in case no container is presented.

For operation of the spider shaft 21 the cam roller 51 (see also Fig. 3) is carried on a pin 70 fixed in the free end of a rod lever 71. Lever '71 is pivoted at its other end to a frame support 72 as on a stud 7 3. above the roller pin 70 is upwardly forked to pivotably receive a linlg 74 which in turn is similarly pivotally reeeived at its other end in the forked lower end of shaft 21. The lower end of shaft 21 isslidably supported in a bearing 75' of a bracket 76 fitted on the frame member 77 with the bearing extending through the wall of the turret cover 25.

The rotation of the cam wheel 27 thus drives the spider 20 (through rod or shaft 21) in timed relation to the driving of the filling mechanism (through the central shaft 26) and the intermittent turret drive. The spider formed as a web with radially distributed stud shaft mounts for carrying the various operating units serves as a simplified positive mechanical drive for simultaneous operation of said unit in timed relation with the filling operation and in proper timed sequence with the turret drive;

What is claimed is:

1. In an automatic container filling and capping machine of the type having a container filling station, including filling means and a reciprocable actuating shaft therefor, and stations spaced therefrom at which operating shafts are arranged to actuate various mechanisms to prepare a container for the filling operation and complete container capping operations after filling, and a drive shaft and conveyor means intermittently operated thereby for successive presentation of a container at said stations; a cam fixed to said drive shaft having cam tracks at each side thereof, said reciprocable container filling actuating The lever 72 shaft being operatively connected with one of said tracks, a common support having said mechanism operating shafts mounted thereon and operable by movement of said support, a reciprocable rod operatively connected at one end for actuation with the other of said cam tracks and fixed at its other end to said common support for said mechanism operating shafts, both tracks of said common cam being arranged to complete the operative strokes of said shaft and rod during the dwell of said intermittently operated conveyor means.

2. The structure of claim 1 in which said mechanism operating shafts are vertically disposed and said common support therefor is a horizontally disposed plate to which said reciprocable rod is fixed for vertical reciprocation of the said operating shafts at said stations.

3. The structure of claim 1 in which said various stations are annularly arranged and said reciprocable container fil in actua n ha t s, o t en r lly her of with a e for c pr ati g sai comm op rat g ha support being arranged in parallel relationship with said actuating shaft.

4. The structure of claim 3 in which said conveyor means for the containers includes a rotatably driven turret cylinder through the center of which said container filling actuating shaft and said reciprocable rod extend in parallel spaced relation with said shaft being on the axis of the turret, said plate support being disposed upwardly of the turret and straddling said shaft for annularly positioning said mechanism operating shafts, said actuating shaft having a columnar support on which a bracket is fixed for slidably receiving the upper end of said reciprocable rod.

5. The structure of claim 4 in which said rod is slidably I supported at its lower end on the base for said columnar References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Hothersall July 28, 1942 Zimmermann Mar. 27, 1951 

